Spy Files: New WikiLeaks docs expose secretive, unruly surveillance industry
http://rt.com/news/wikileaks-spy-files-release-402/ Spy Files: New WikiLeaks docs expose secretive, unruly surveillance industry Published time: September 04, 2013 16:06 Edited time: September 05, 2013 10:00 Get short URL Screenshot from a leaked documentScreenshot from a leaked document Tags Central Asia, Information Technology, Intelligence, Internet, Middle East, WikiLeaks The growing surveillance industry complex is providing governments with increasingly sophisticated spying software to track and control their citizens, the latest documents obtained by the pro-transparency group, WikiLeaks reveal. A trove of documents, outlining the activities of dozens of companies operating in the ever-expanding electronic snooping industry, were made available by the pro-transparency group on Wednesday. ‘Lawful interception’, mass monitoring, network recording, signals and communication intelligence, and tactical interception devices were among the services and products provided by a litany of Western based firms, as outlined in hundreds of pages of documents covering trade brochures, internal memos, and invoices. "WikiLeaks' Spy Files #3 is part of our ongoing commitment to shining a light on the secretive mass surveillance industry. This publication doubles the WikiLeaks Spy Files database,” the accompanying press release cites Julian Assange. “The WikiLeaks Spy Files form a valuable resource for journalists and citizens alike, detailing and explaining how secretive state intelligence agencies are merging with the corporate world in their bid to harvest all human electronic communication." One 2011 document showed how companies such as UK-based Gamma Group, German-based Desoma and Swiss-based Dreamlab are working in concert to “create Telecommunications Intelligence Systems for different telecommunications networks to fulfill the customers’ needs” regarding “massive data interception and retention.” In March, Gamma International, which is a subsidiary of Gamma group, made Reporters Without Borders 'Corporate Enemies of the Internet' list for 2013, which singled out five “digital mercenaries” who sell their surveillance technology to authoritarian regimes. The firm’s FinFisher Suite (which includes Trojans to infect PCs, mobile phones, other consumer electronics and servers, as well as technical consulting), is considered to be one of the most sophisticated in the world. During the search of an Egyptian intelligence agency office in 2011, human rights activists found a contract proposal from Gamma International to sell FinFisher to Egypt. Bill Marczak, a computer science doctoral candidate at the University of California, helped investigate the use of FinFisher spyware against activists and journalists in Bahrain in 2012, as well as in other states. “We don’t have any sort of contracts, so that we could see financial dealings between companies and these governments. The only indications that we have as to where the spyware has been used are based on the research. In cases that we’ve seen the spyware has been targeted against activists and journalists in a particular country. We’ve been scanning the internet looking for this technology. So we found, as I said, spywares in Bahrain. We saw it being targeted against Bahraini journalists and activists last year. We’ve also found servers for the spyware in a number of other countries, such as Turkmenistan, Qatar, Ethiopia,” Marczak told RT. RT was the only Russian broadcaster that collaborated with WikiLeaks in this investigation, which also brought into the spotlight other companies including Cobham, Amees, Digital Barriers, ETL group, UTIMACO, Telesoft Technologies and Trovicor. Trovicor, incidentally, also features among Reporters Without Borders “digital mercenaries.” The firm, whose monitoring centers are capable of intercepting phone calls, text messages, voice over IP calls (like Skype) and Internet traffic, has also been accused by of helping Bahrain imprison and torture activists and journalists. Screenshot from a leaked documentScreenshot from a leaked document While a smoking gun in the form of government contracts or invoices was not forthcoming, internal documents discovered by WikiLeaks do confirm that the firm’s dealings with autocratic states. In a December 2010 correspondence between Nicolas Mayencourt, the CEO of Dreamlab Technologies AG, and Thomas Fischer from Gamma Group’s Germany-based branch Gamma International GmbH, a “quotation concerning the Monitoring system for iproxy (infection proxy)-project” is provided for an unspecified end customer in Oman. One concern involved keeping the client [Oman] aware of any changes made to the proxy [intermediary] server infected with their software for the sake of culling information from select targets. “During the integration tests in Oman in September 2010 the end customer figured out that not all of the components of the iproxy infrastructure are under their full control. It is, for example possible that changes of the Oman-network may occur without their knowledge. Thus, it might occur that ISPs [Internet service providers] may modify some of the current configuration. Therefore, the question arose whether it is possible to identify such a modification in the network setup by monitoring the whole iproxy infrastructure.
From this point of view, a request for an efficient and user-friendly monitoring of the iproxy infrastructure including all components of the systems was derived. This requirement is discussed and a proposal for solution is described in this offer.”
The infection process as was conducted on-site in Oman in 2010 can be conducted in two different variants, as described in a separate document, ‘System Manual Project O’, prepared for the Gulf client. The first is described as a binary infection, whereby binaries (non-text computer files) are infected after being downloaded by the configured target. “In order to do this, the software analyzes the data streams on the NDPs [network data processors] at both of the Internet exchanges (IX). As soon as a matching type of binary is downloaded, the infection mechanism is initiated, then it attaches loader and payload (trojan) to the binary.” Screenshot from a leaked documentScreenshot from a leaked document The second method is described as update infection, which “works by sending counterfeit server responses to predefined applications (for example iTunes, Winamp, OpenOffice and SimpleLite), when they are searching for updates.” Data can be captured both through traditional public switch telephone networks (PSTN), mobile providers and internet protocol suites across a range of devices. The user’s information, including his or her IP address, user name, [cell] phone number, the date time and identity of the person being communicated with, and the method or protocol (mail, WWW, Skype, chat, voice, fax, and SMS) are all up for grabs. Upon being captured, the data is stored in a ‘Data Warehouse’ and “retrieved on command.” Quotations for the project, enumerated in Swiss francs (CHF), are broken down in multiple categories: Monitoring and alarming 83,355.00 Services provided by Dreamlab 34,400.00 Training 5,400.00 Annual solution maintenance 24,000.00 Redundant monitoring implementation 57,955.00 Services provided by Dreamlab for redundancy 5,760.00 Annual solution maintenance for redundant system 12,000.00 Note: 1 CHF = 1.06720 USD Although such software does have legitimate applications for law enforcement, it can easily be used to stifle civil society, as Marczak argues was the case in Bahrain. Apart from journalists and activists, he noted that in the Malaysia and Ethiopia, members of the political opposition were apparently being targeted as well. One piece of FinFisher spyware discovered, for example, contained details relating to the upcoming Malaysian elections. “You couldn’t say exactly who was targeted against, but the use of election-related content suggests politically motivated targeting. We also found a sample of this spyware that appeared to be targeted at activists in Ethiopia. The spyware contained a picture of Ethiopian opposition leaders that was displayed when the user opened it. By opening the picture the user copied the spyware,” he said.
Time to stop using weasely "surveillance" and "intelligence" and "analysis" and "actionable" and "national security." It's all spying. The weasel words were invented and are promoted to avoid the rightful horror, stigma, sleaze, criminality, betrayal, illegality, dishonor, distrust, deception, assassination and worse duplicity and treachery of official policy. Perhaps not so surprising, the newly all-powerful US uses the weasel words more than the older nations who know what we newbies refuse to acknowledge: millions die because of deliberate official and commercial spying lies. Good on WikiLeaks for naming what the shamefully spreading shit is. Fuck RT for lying about its name as a spy unit is obliged to do. KGB=FSB=RT. As global state-privileged media continues to do obediently for the same commercial reason. Coda: Free the Snowden docs, end censoring, peddling and lying about them like spies. That's you I'm talking about WikiLeaks, Guardian, Der Spiegel, Washington Post, O Globo, New York Times, ProPublica, end your secretive commercial spy aiding. At 09:16 AM 9/5/2013, you wrote:
http://rt.com/news/wikileaks-spy-files-release-402/
Spy Files: New WikiLeaks docs expose secretive, unruly surveillance industry
On 09/05/13 10:02 -0400, John Young wrote:
Coda: Free the Snowden docs, end censoring, peddling and lying about them like spies. That's you I'm talking about WikiLeaks, Guardian, Der Spiegel, Washington Post, O Globo, New York Times, ProPublica, end your secretive commercial spy aiding.
I don't get the idea that releasing the Snowden docs in bulk and unfiltered is entirely up to the media outlets listed. My guess is Snowden himself is doing much of the metering. The slow, but consistent, rate of blockbuster headlines is resulting in a punctuated evolutionary change in the public's view of what the NSA is doing. Remember headlines like this?: http://thehill.com/homenews/house/305409-house-intel-chiefs-snowden-lying By releasing information in this way, Snowden has clearly made liers out of these head-in-the-sand politicians. By being specific, he has forced them to defend one issue at a time. There can no longer be any blanket statements of deniability. The onus is on the defenders of these secrets to prove that they are false, to the American public. Snowden is, simply put, one of the great American heros of our time. His interests are clear, and his integrity has yet to be breached.
On Thu, Sep 5, 2013 at 10:12 AM, Dan White <dwhite@olp.net> wrote:
On 09/05/13 10:02 -0400, John Young wrote:
Coda: Free the Snowden docs, end censoring, peddling and lying about them like spies. That's you I'm talking about WikiLeaks, Guardian, Der Spiegel, Washington Post, O Globo, New York Times, ProPublica, end your secretive commercial spy aiding.
I don't get the idea that releasing the Snowden docs in bulk and unfiltered is entirely up to the media outlets listed. My guess is Snowden himself is doing much of the metering. The slow, but consistent, rate of blockbuster headlines is resulting in a punctuated evolutionary change in the public's view of what the NSA is doing.
The journalists (like Barton Gellman) working on the releases have specifically stated that Snowden's not doing this. According to Gellman[0], Snowden passed them the docs with fairly minimal instructions ("select for news and avoid damage"). One could certainly disbelieve Gellman, but there's the assertion nonetheless. [0]: https://twitter.com/bartongellman/status/373143485215670272 -- @kylemaxwell
On 09/05/13 10:31 -0500, Kyle Maxwell wrote:
On Thu, Sep 5, 2013 at 10:12 AM, Dan White <dwhite@olp.net> wrote:
On 09/05/13 10:02 -0400, John Young wrote:
Coda: Free the Snowden docs, end censoring, peddling and lying about them like spies. That's you I'm talking about WikiLeaks, Guardian, Der Spiegel, Washington Post, O Globo, New York Times, ProPublica, end your secretive commercial spy aiding.
I don't get the idea that releasing the Snowden docs in bulk and unfiltered is entirely up to the media outlets listed. My guess is Snowden himself is doing much of the metering. The slow, but consistent, rate of blockbuster headlines is resulting in a punctuated evolutionary change in the public's view of what the NSA is doing.
The journalists (like Barton Gellman) working on the releases have specifically stated that Snowden's not doing this. According to Gellman[0], Snowden passed them the docs with fairly minimal instructions ("select for news and avoid damage"). One could certainly disbelieve Gellman, but there's the assertion nonetheless.
I could believe that he's not redacting information contained within classified documents (which may raise suspicion about his motives). There was an article posted to this list a couple of weeks back that showed, at least in his initial contacts with journalists, that he was being selective in what information he was providing them.
On Sep 5, 2013, at 11:12 AM, Dan White <dwhite@olp.net> wrote:
Snowden is, simply put, one of the great American heros of our time. His interests are clear, and his integrity has yet to be breached.
WHOOP, From what I've seen is the three letter akro's (CIA,NSA) i'll stop, are still having a pissing contest, the whole lot, three letter agencies and the wanna bee spooks. Baby face Eddie (the friendly spook) may just be ruse-no? Look at the timing, locals, principles,profits,defunding+WTF hearings (future),RT(Rutzkies) pouncing the shit hole agency and POTUS. *I would steer your attention to the collaboration (and its wickedly close) of the BND and CIA and 5th column countries, ours being one of them. For me when something is to good to be true, well then it might should be food for thought grounds for further research. This may be a study; to see, what the sheeple do, act, don't give a fuck etc., and prepare when some real shit hits the wiki fan! _Mg *A recent (and predictably slanted) Wall Street Journal article dealt with a leak of Naval Intelligence secrets during the course of World War II. Disclosing the pivotal fact that U.S. intelligence had cracked the Japanese “White Code” (not specified in the WSJ article), “Colonel” Robert R. McCormick’s Chicago Tribune leaked vital information for the second time in less than a year. Having previously leaked the Rainbow Five contingency plan for U.S. mobilization and war-making documents for the Second World War, McCormick was a member of America First. Ostensibly isolationist and “patriotic” in outlook, the organization was, in fact, actively funded by Third Reich intelligence and comprised (for the most part) of doctrinaire fascists who loved Hitler and Mussolini and hated Franklin Delano Roosevelt with a passion. (For a good understanding of the active pro-fascist nature of America First, open Under Cover by John Roy Carl, son and use the “find” function on your computer, searching “America First.” This will yield a good understanding of the nature of that organization and its members.) As discussed in AFA #11, the probable source of the leak of the Rainbow Five program was General Albert Wedemeyer, one of its primary authors and an active America Firster. (See text excerpts below for information about Wedemeyer and the leak of Rainbow Five.) A lynchpin of the China Lobby, the MacArthur group in the military and the milieu that coalesced into the John Birch Society, Wedemeyer studied at the German military academy, beginning in 1936, renting his apartment from Gerhard Rossbach, one of the leaders of the Brownshirts (SA.) Later (as dicsussed in AFA #11) Rossbach went to work for the CIA in the postwar period. Yet another point about Wedemeyer set forth in AFA #11 is the fact that Ronald Reagan appointed Wedemeyer as a special military adviser.
participants (5)
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Dan White -
Eugen Leitl -
John Young -
Kyle Maxwell -
MARK GORE